One Killed as Light Aircraft Crashes in Field Near Middelburg
A sport aircraft crashed next to the A58 near Middelburg on Tuesday morning, killing one person. The Dutch Safety Board has launched an investigation.
A light sport aircraft crashed into a field alongside the A58 motorway between Middelburg and Ritthem in Zeeland on Tuesday morning, killing one person. The incident was reported to emergency services at around 8.40 a.m.
Rentals in the Netherlands
Signaal tracks the Dutch rental market and notifies you the moment something matches your search. Be first to apply.
The aircraft came down in a meadow next to the motorway between Vlissingen and Middelburg. Photos from the scene show the plane broke apart on impact, with wreckage spread across a large section of the field. No fire broke out.
The aircraft was identified as a Reims-Cessna F172P Skyhawk II, a single-engine plane. Vliegveld Midden-Zeeland, located around 10 kilometres to the north-east of the crash site, confirmed the aircraft had taken off from there.
Emergency services escalated the response to GRIP 1, a coordination protocol under which all services at the scene report to a single commanding officer. Police, firefighters, paramedics and two trauma helicopters were all deployed. Several motorists witnessed the aircraft come down and called 112 directly.
The A58 itself was not closed as a result of the crash. How many people were on board at the time of the incident has not yet been confirmed.
The Dutch Safety Board (Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid) has sent three people to carry out a preliminary investigation into the cause of the crash. According to public flight data cited by Dutch emergency media, the aircraft carried the registration PH-VSS and disappeared from radar at the location of the crash.
The cause of the accident remains unknown and is under investigation.
